Jian Jing was the first to exclude Zuo Xin. She could be targeting Wang to shift suspicion, but as a girl, she couldn't have moved the corpse to the fourth floor.
Manager Hu went downstairs at 10:40 PM and came back at 11:05 PM, leaving him unaccounted for 25 minutes, the most time.
Deng Props went to the bathroom at 10:10 PM, and returned to the classroom 15-30 minutes later. He went again at 10:40 PM, leaving twice in one hour. Does he really need to use the bathroom that frequently with his bad kidneys?
Luo Male Lead also went to the bathroom after 10:40 PM, and went to get touchups at 11:05 PM, leaving twice as well. If he killed Tang right after leaving the first time and stashed her somewhere in the teaching building, he could have brought her upstairs on the second trip, avoiding Wang and Manager Hu who were outside.
Oh no.
If she hadn't called Luo and Deng to leave earlier, whether their shoes had mud or not would have been critical evidence. But she ruined it herself.
Jian Jing suddenly realized this and felt extremely regretful.
She intended to give Hu and Wang a chance to destroy evidence if they went downstairs, but never expected her clever plan to backfire.
What now, are there any other clues?
Jian Jing thought for a moment and beckoned to Wang Cameraman, "Let's talk."
Wang Cameraman: "I have nothing to talk to you about."
"A police officer I know asked me to ask you some questions," Jian Jing had no hesitation using someone she just met as leverage. "Don't you want to clear your suspicion?"
Wang hesitated, then went outside with her.
The two talked in private at the end of the hallway.
"I want to know what Tang Yuran said to you," Jian Jing said. "Don't reject me outright. Your suspicion is great now, but I feel someone may be framing you."
Wang's attention was diverted: "Who's framing me?"
"Of course the real murderer," Jian Jing gently persuaded. "Only catching the real killer can prove your innocence, right?"
Wang's expression changed several times before he finally spoke, "It was nothing much. She had asked if I wanted to film something award-worthy earlier, and if so, to do as she said today."
"Was this your conversation in the small garden?"
"No. At that time, she told me to come find her at 11 PM to film behind-the-scenes footage, and I had to film it seriously." Wang scratched his head. "That was it, nothing else."
Jian Jing stared at his face unblinkingly, "You don't know her 'plan'?"
Wang asked back, "What plan?"
"The plan to film award-worthy work." Jian Jing asked, "You know absolutely nothing? Are you sure?"
"I'm sure, I really don't know anything." Wang said irritably.
Jian Jing nodded and let him leave, calling for Deng Props.
Deng Props went straight to the point, "Any clues, or you still suspect me?"
"You're responsible for procuring all props for the club's shoots," Jian Jing asked. "I want to know what you bought. Can you show me the receipts?"
Deng Props hesitated, then took out his phone and showed her his purchase orders, which included wigs, costumes, fake blood, skulls and other horror movie props.
"Did you use any fake blood today?" She looked closely. "How many packs did you use, how many are left?"
Deng Props was silent.
Jian Jing said unhurriedly, "Think carefully."
The muscles on Deng's face twitched microscopically, but she couldn't interpret microexpressions. She only knew he was conflicted internally. After a while, he spoke, "Used up a few packs." Not waiting for Jian Jing to ask, he volunteered, "In the bathroom."
Jian Jing feigned surprise, "The blood in the bathroom was fake?"
"Yes, Yuran and I did that together." After saying it aloud, Deng's face showed immense relief. He quickly explained, "It was a plan. Yuran said our story was cliche and boring, not worth filming unless we created some hype."
"What do you mean?"
"Very simple. If strange things happened while we were filming a horror movie, it would attract attention once it spread. Movie within a movie, that's all." Deng gave a wry smile. "It's that simple."
Jian Jing thought, "This was Yuran's idea? Who else knew?"
"Should just be me and her. Yuran wanted to film the others' genuine reactions for credibility." Deng analyzed. "Telling everyone beforehand would be too fake."
Jian Jing suddenly understood.
She had to admit, Yuran had good ideas. Zuo Xin's script was mediocre, Manager Hu was a first-time director, and the two leads were complete newbies. The end product would be predictable.
But with her plan, it might just rise from the dead.
The problem now was, the person who could fake the scene must be someone who knew about it. And according to Deng, only he and Yuran knew.
"Why did she only tell you?" Jian Jing seized on the ambiguity.
Deng was a little embarrassed, "Uh, I wanted to pursue someone from her dorm. She said she'd hook me up if I helped her."
Jian Jing realized and asked again, "What did you do the first time you left?"
"I went to the female bathroom to prepare props. Yuran came later too. She said I was gone too long and would arouse suspicion, telling me to come back first. So I went downstairs to the male bathroom to clean up. That part is true, but I didn't actually use the bathroom. She told me to go find Old Wang and remind him to film behind-the-scenes."
"How did you set it up?" She asked in detail.
"Just poured some fake blood in the toilet bowl, splashed some around." Deng described clearly. "Yuran said she'd handle the handprints since a girl's hands are smaller, after all it was the female bathroom."
Jian Jing silently nodded to herself, it matched up.
She pretended to be calm, "So you think she was killed while setting up the scene in the bathroom?"
Deng thought seriously for a bit, gesturing meaninglessly with his hands, "I feel so. She talked to Wang first, then was killed when she returned to the bathroom to set up. Or Wang could've killed her and moved her to the bathroom, but time was too tight."
"You're under suspicion," Jian Jing stated as objectively and calmly as she could. "The second time you left gave you ample time to kill her in the bathroom."
Deng argued, "If I did it, why would I tell you?"
"Because perhaps a third person knew, and you'd be very suspicious if you didn't say anything." Jian Jing was extremely composed. "Like the manager, does he really not know about a plan like this?"
Deng was anxious, "I don't know if Old Hu knew or not. In any case, it wasn't me."
Jian Jing controlled her expression and stared at him seriously for a long time before lightly nodding, seemingly believing him.
Her earlier suspicion of Deng was just a test. She deliberately said "kill in the bathroom." If Deng was the murderer, he should've denied the bathroom was the primary scene and shifted blame to Wang Cameraman. But although he knew the blood was fake, he thought the murder occurred while setting up. This actually reduced his own suspicion.
The two returned to the classroom where an argument was underway.
"What are you guys fighting about?" Jian Jing raised her brows.
Manager Hu was furious, cursing, "They've lost it. Just because I attended a hometown gathering with Yuran means I was involved with her?"
Wang Cameraman asked coldly, "You didn't mention knowing each other before."
"What's there to mention? Just met a few times." Manager Hu stomped his feet. "Do I have to specially report it?"
Jian Jing and Zuo Xin explained, "We were looking through Yuran's campus album and found a group photo with the manager in it."
Manager Hu yelled loudly, "A hometown gathering! We're from the same place so all us locals gathered. I'm less close to her than in the club. I didn't think it was necessary to specially mention it, right?"
The others clearly looked suspicious.
"Uh..." Luo Male Lead hesitated, then knitted his brows and asked, "I don't mean anything else, but didn't she, I mean Yuran, often interact with a guy who even gave her gifts? Was that you?"
Manager Hu reacted as if his butt was on fire, yelling loudly, "The hell it was! I have a girlfriend. We were just ordinary friends. Don't suspect people groundlessly."
But Zuo Xin was very interested and probed, "Did you break up because of that man?"
"Whether she brought him up when breaking up with me, I can't say for sure." Luo gave a wry smile. "Just overheard a couple sentences."
Zuo Xin pursued, "Could you have harbored resentment over this?"
"Come on, we're not kids anymore. Just a normal breakup, not enough to kill someone." Luo firmly asserted. "Look at me, it's not hard to date. No need to sacrifice half my life for her."
Jian Jing and Zuo Xin looked at him simultaneously.
Luo raised his hands, "I have a commercial audition soon. If I do well, I may get signed. I'm not that stupid. You can see I barely talked to her today right? Did I seem clingy?"
Zuo Xin seemed to believe him and turned to Jian Jing, "Yuran was stabbed to death with a knife or something right? I think finding the murder weapon is most important, can't give the killer a chance to destroy evidence."
Jian Jing asked, "You mean...?"
"If no one minds, take out your belongings and spread them out." Zuo Xin was very candid. "I'm not the killer anyway, I'll go first."
She emptied her shoulder bag onto the desk: lipstick, pens, earphones, tissues, wallet, phone charger, nothing else.
Wang Cameraman said coldly, "Who's stupid enough to keep the murder weapon on themselves?"
"Then let everyone check you." Zuo Xin pressed aggressively.
Wang brought his bag over and made a "go ahead" gesture, "I don't believe you can find anything suspicious."
Zuo Xin ignored him and started searching his bag.
Seeing this, although dissatisfied, the others didn't feel they could refuse without appearing suspicious themselves. After some hesitation, they also took out their personal items.
But nothing was found.
No one had a murder weapon.
Jian Jing pondered, "Zuo Xin is right, can't let the killer take away evidence. Let's search the building in pairs."
"Fine, you have connections, you call the shots."
The others reluctantly started moving.
The four-story teaching building was not big, and most of the classrooms were locked. Only four bathrooms and this classroom were empty, as well as the outdoor area.
It was raining heavily now, and people were still focused on searching the teaching building.
This move was undoubtedly the right one.
Twenty minutes later, a multi-purpose folding knife was found under the trash can in the second stall of the men's bathroom on the third floor.
